The sextet face a joint May 18 trial on assault charges
Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Risa Vetri Ferman has denied requests from six alleged members of the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Club to be tried separately in connection with a violent 2025 confrontation outside a Wawa in West Norriton.
In her ruling, according to The Mercury, Ferman concluded that holding a joint trial would not unfairly prejudice the defendants, Erik P. Rosenberger, George Cwienk III, Justin Ray Noll, George Hripto Jr., Manuel Baez-Santos and Joel Hernandez-Martinez, rejecting defense arguments that jurors could improperly apply evidence from one defendant to another.
Attorneys for the six men had pushed for separate proceedings, claiming individual trials would ensure each defendant was judged solely on his own alleged actions. Prosecutors countered that jurors are capable of distinguishing the evidence, and the court ultimately agreed, per the report.
The six defendants — all awaiting trial — face charges including aggravated assault, simple assault, riot and reckless endangerment tied to the Oct. 17, 2025 incident, when a clash between Pagans members and a rival biker group at a Wawa on West Main Street left six people injured, including two bystanders. Jury selection is scheduled to begin May 18, with the trial expected to span several weeks.
The six men, Rosenberger, 46, of the 400 block of Blaker Drive, East Greenville; Cwienk, 51, of the unit block of 7th Street, Bridgeport; Baez-Santos, 34, of the 600 block of Kohn Street, Norristown; Hripto, 50, of the 200 block of East Fourth Street, Bridgeport; Hernandez-Martinez, 36, of the 300 block of West Sixth Street, Bridgeport; and Noll, 34, of the 600 block of Memorial Highway, Fleetwood, Berks County, are awaiting trial, which begins May 18 with jury selection, per The Mercury.
The case has continued to evolve in recent days.
Two co-defendants previously had all charges dismissed, while another, Jason William Lawless, entered a guilty plea to reduced misdemeanor counts.
Prosecutors said Lawless admitted to acting as an accomplice by supporting the group during the confrontation, even though he did not physically participate in the assault. He was sentenced to time served followed by probation and ordered to avoid the Wawa property.
On Friday, October 17, 2025, at 9:12 p.m., West Norriton Township Police were dispatched to the Wawa, 2544 W. Main St., for a reported shooting. The 911 caller said the store manager had locked down the building and had customers hiding in the back area.
A joint investigation by West Norriton Township Police and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau determined the shooting was gang-related and resulted in six people being shot, including two innocent bystanders.
According to the investigation, an adult male was shot in the face while putting air in his vehicle’s tire, and an adult female was shot in the right side of her torso as she stood near the store’s entrance.
One member of the Unknown Bikers Outlaw Motorcycle Club was shot in the left forearm and thigh, authorities said.
Detectives used surveillance video, eyewitness accounts, and other evidence to piece together the events. Video showed two Unknown Bikers members arriving at 9:08 p.m. to refuel when nine Pagans arrived together at 9:10 p.m.
“Some of the Pagans surrounded the opposing gang members, while other Pagans positioned themselves to block any escape,” a release from the District Attorney stated. “Almost immediately, a physical altercation ensued … Video shows Pagan gang members tactically moving through the area and taking a shooting platform stance.”
One minute later, gunfire erupted, and the Pagans fled the scene toward Norristown. Detectives recovered 14 fired cartridge casings at the scene.
Norristown Police later located four motorcycles and five Pagan gang members traveling eastbound on Main Street. Officers found that Rosenberger, Higgins, Cwienk, Hernandez-Martinez, and Noll had all been shot and were transported to area hospitals.
The investigation involved the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit, the District Attorney’s Gun Violence Reduction Task Force, and police from West Norriton, Upper Merion, Norristown, Bridgeport, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force.
For more details on the case and prior developments, read more here
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
